A lot of work can be done in six days, and that is exactly what the Oregon men’s basketball team hopes to show tonight as it hosts Oregon Tech at 7 p.m. in the Ducks’ final exhibition game of the season.
In the opener Wednesday against Southern Oregon, the Ducks used a 19-4 run in the closing minutes to pull away from a tied game. In the end, the talent gap caught up with Southern Oregon and Oregon hopes the same will happen tonight – except earlier.
A lack of rebounding and overall defense at times hurt the Ducks, who were unable to push the ball and maintain their usual up-tempo style.
“Pushing the ball is probably the main goal … getting it up (the floor), getting easy buckets in transition,” Oregon point guard Aaron Brooks said. “Last game we didn’t get to do that because we didn’t rebound. So we’ve got to rebound more consistently and get out.”
The Ducks are used to a fast-paced game and have pushed the ball up the floor at nearly every opportunity in recent years. As Oregon reserve point guard Kenny Love put it, “Our main game is getting it down the floor pretty fast.”
If the layup isn’t available it is up to the wings to knock down jump shots.
“Coach always says, ‘We’ve got to be lights-out shooters in this system,’” Brooks said. “Well, if you don’t get a layup and you’re not open for a jumper, run the offense. We definitely want to kick it out for an open (jump shot).”
Southern Oregon held the Ducks to only six transition points, all in the second half.
“It’s definitely frustrating, but I feel we learned a lot of things from that first game with Southern Oregon,” Brooks said. “We are still not running enough for me.”
An emphasis for tonight’s game is pushing the ball down the floor and creating more opportunities for “easy buckets.” However, if Oregon’s fast break is shut down, getting open shots in the half-court offense will be pivotal.
With the addition of 6-foot-8 junior college transfer Ivan Johnson and the development of 7-foot Ray Schafer the Ducks have added an inside threat. So which is more important, an inside presence or a shifty point guard to collapse the defense?
“You can’t have one without the other,” Brooks said. “You definitely need to have a dominating force inside, to kick it in. That’s half of it. Point guards more in transition – get crafty, get in the middle, kick it out for a jumper – they work hand in hand and you need both.”
Wings like Bryce Taylor, Malik Hairston, Brandon Lincoln and now Maarty Leunen will be reaping the rewards one way or another. The 6-foot-9 Leunen will play “more perimeter-oriented this year,” relying on Brooks to collapse the defense in order for open shots.
“It makes it a lot easier for me because I just have to catch and shoot,” Leunen said. “That’s a lot easier than trying to create something off the dribble.”
The Ducks have also focused on boxing out and rebounding, an area that slowed the pace of the Southern Oregon game, when Oregon allowed 12 offensive rebounds.
“It’s tough to run when you don’t have the ball,” Leunen said. “Coach has really emphasized we need to get points on transition because we are a transitioning team. That’s something we need to do next game because that’s going to help us win games throughout the year – transition points.”
Boxing out and not allowing offensive rebounds will also help in the free-throw battle, which Oregon won 22 attempts to 10 in the opener. However, the charity-stripe struggles continued from last season, when the Ducks averaged 65.5 percent as a team.
Oregon started out making nine of its first 10 free throws against Southern Oregon, but the Ducks finished shooting 68.2 percent from the free-throw line.
There have been a lot of points of emphasis for the Ducks after their first game and tonight’s match-up against Oregon Tech will show just how good this team is at adapting and putting the lessons to use. One thing is certain: Oregon wants to run the ball early and often, and if it is successful, the other aspects should fall into place without trouble.
